Restraints
by LadyoftheShield
Summary: AU. In the aftermath of his clan's massacre, Sasuke chooses to care for his mother's cats instead of turning them out on the street. A small thing, but one that changes his interactions with Uzumaki Naruto. Also features: Iruka, Shino, Kiba. Gen. No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Note: 100 ryō is about one dollar. This is a commission from Laflenkenway on tumblr. There's going to be at least one more chapter.

* * *

As soon as he was able to walk, Sasuke negotiated his release from the hospital.

The only Uchiha remaining in Konoha, he was the clan head now. Despite his age that held some weight. There were whispers of Sasuke being placed to live with one of the other Noble Clans to care for him- the Hyuga seemed to be the most popular suggestion- or even Copy Ninja Kakashi, which seemed to generate more conflict than it ended.

Sasuke argued. If Naruto, his incompetent classmate, could live by himself then so could he. He didn't want to be placed with other clans. He didn't want to live with pitying looks and whispers following him wherever he stepped.

His brother's eyes on him were bad enough. He didn't need anyone else's.

In the end, the Council and the clan heads had agreed to his terms, on the condition that he kept up his grades and attendance at the Academy. He said nothing to his escort- Shibi Aburame- as they walked down the streets. Why he had volunteered, Sasuke couldn't imagine, but he didn't care. Most Konoha residents avoided the Aburame on principle- and as long as he stayed in Shibi's shadow, that included Sasuke by extension.

As they approached the Clan Compound gate, the unnatural silence echoed around them like the toll of bells signalling an execution. Uchiha debated and dialogued, trained and tested jutsu together, laughed and talked about hobbies or missions. By its very nature, fire was life and the Uchiha were no different. This- emptiness, this nothing- this was as far from home, from his family, as he could. He hadn't noticed the void last night, as excited as he had been to tell his father he had finally mastered the Phoenix Flower Technique.

And when he stepped inside, the feeling of home did not come. Bloodstains had been mopped up, bodies carted away but the damage to the buildings remained. The streets were still empty and Sasuke alone remained in all the world.

His parents, gone. Great-Auntie Uruchi and Great-Uncle Teyaki. Gone. Tekka, Yashiro and Inabi. Inabi's wife and new baby. Gone. Izumi. All the children he used to play with and dream about becoming great shinobi- maybe, Sasuke had once dared to say, even the Hokage.

Gone, and Sasuke alone remained.

He paused, forcing down the tears that threatened to build in his eyes. Only babies cried. Ninja were cold as stone, hard as ice.

"Are you alright?" Aburame Shibi asked from behind him.

Sasuke swallowed the hot lump building in his throat. "I'm fine," he said, pulling away from Shibi. Being so curt with an adult was a new feeling for mother would have frowned at him, told him to thank Shibi-san but she wasn't here. What she wanted didn't matter anymore, especially when it came to dealing with adults.

He didn't need adults telling him everything was going to be ok.

He didn't need adults telling him everything happened for a reason.

He didn't need adults telling him this was going to get better. That he would feel better.

Shibi said nothing else as they walked the empty streets until, at last, his house stood in front of them. "You have it from here?" Shibi asked, pausing before the steps.

"Yes," Sasuke said, retreating onto the porch and grabbing the door. Behind him, the house waited- full of nothing but darkness and grief. "Thank you."

Even ninjutsu hadn't been able to repair the scorch marks on the floor of the living room. Sasuke closed his eyes again, fighting back the image of his parents vanishing into black flames.

A quiet yowl broke him out of his memories. Tensing, Sasuke grabbed at a kunai holster that no longer hung on his hip. It sounded again, sad in the nothing around him, and this time he recognized it as a sleek tan form crept up to him. Itachi hadn't seen his mother's cat worth killing, for reasons beyond Sasuke. The babies hadn't been worth killing either, and yet their blood stained the streets all the same.

"No one's fed you today, have they?" he asked Tora, kneeling to stroke her fur despite himself.

 _Gentle, Sasuke, Gentle,_ he remembered his mother telling a much younger version of himself, one still clumsy and unused to moving on two feet.

Another mew, and another cat darted in front of him- smaller, darker, and with the distinct smell of garbage that signalled it was one of the strays his mother fed.

How dare this- this worthless animal still live when his mother and father had been cut down like weeds?

"Make yourselves useful and go hunt," he snapped as he ran upstairs- past the shattered bannister, past room stained dark with blood and into his room- the one place untouched from the hell of last night.

His room was a disorganized mess. He didn't remember leaving it in this state, but it gave him something to do.

Once it was clean here, he would eat and do some late night training. Life didn't stop just because everything else in it had.

As he cleaned, the cats grew steadily louder, breaking his concentration. He tried to ignore it, and succeeded until an orchestra of planitive mews joined Tora's cries for food. Drawing a kunai he threw his door open and started for the stairs, only to trip on a calico napping on the stairs.

The smell of wet fur hung in the air, summoning a memory from when he was little more than baby fat and smiles.

 _Remember, Sasuke,_ she had said, plates of meat guarded in her callused hands, _Always be kind. Because if no one is kind then this isn't a world worth living in._

He swallowed the lump building in his throat, and gave in- with the promise to himself he'd put ads in the paper the next day. If he was going to have a prayer of defeating Itachi, he couldn't waste any training time on something as insignificant as pets.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't sure what to expect when he slid into his seat at the Academy. His parents had been in their graves less than three days, and the Third had told him he could take a week off from school, if he needed it. But what no one seemed to understand was that he needed to get stronger. He needed to train, he needed to learn and grow and he could not do that in an empty compound.

As the other students filtered in, a scuffle in the hall drew the attention of the others, laughter and taunts swelling until the arrival of Iruka-sensei ended the chaos. Iruka-sensei ushered the wayward students into the classroom, but as he did so, his eyes went to Sasuke. For a moment, the eye contact stayed, until Sasuke looked away, pulling away.

He didn't need Sensei's pity.

Reaching into his bag, he sorted his books and items, preparing for the day's lecture as Iruka walked down the aisle, handing back the tests from last week.

Last week. Had it been only so long ago?

Iruka slid the test toward him with a reassuring smile. "Good work on quickly detecting the genjutsu, Sasuke," he said, "but you may want to review your understanding of the Land of Iron's international policies during the Third Shinobi World War." For a moment, Sensei's cheerful look dropped from his eyes as Sasuke met his gaze.

Then Iruka moved on. "Ami, your essay was interesting, but…"

Tuning his teacher out, Sasuke turned the paper over. A near-perfect score stared back.

His hand shot forward, crumpling the paper. No one waited at home for him to show.

And yet.

The Land of Iron was a good place for a missing-nin to hide. The neutrality would protect him. It was something he would need to know later.

Smoothing out the paper, Sasuke folded it and stuffed it into his book bag for later study just as a pencil jabbed into his spine.

"Sasuke-kun," Ami asked, flipping her violet hair, "what did you get? I'm sure you did better than I did, cause you're so smart."

"I know I did," he said, "now leave me alone."

The rest of the school day went about as well. Ino and Sakura tittered and fought over him, Kiba and Shikamaru still cut class and, dauntless as the sun, Uzumaki Naruto never failed to raise Iruka's ire with a prank or a witty not-quite-answer. Things were normal. They must not have known- just what had happened the other night. And as much as he needed the normalcy, he did not need the people constantly demanding to be around him- to compare scores, to train, to fight. At least Iruka understood him enough to let Sasuke work on his own in class. But come free period, Sasuke was on his own.

People gravitated to Uchiha genius like flies to honey- to ask him questions, mooch off his grades, try to get him to hold hands with them or whatever else they wanted from him. Even the curt rudeness he'd started to wield like a shield wasn't enough to fend them off.

"Sasuke! Oh Sasuke!"

"Not now, Ami," he grumbled, turning away from her.

"Aw, Sasuke," she said, "Everyōne can tell there's something wrong with you, so I thought I'd cheer you up!" She plunked herself down on the bench next to him, fluttering her eyelashes. "My mom taught me a lot of great jokes. Wanna hear one?"

"No. Go away."

"You say that now," she tittered, "but I know I can make you feel better." She cleared her throat, one of her hands snaking around his shoulders.

"Get off me!" Sasuke said, pulling away.

"Don't be so shy, Sasuke-kun," Ami said, leaning against him again, "If you would just-"

Then she pulled away, eyes wide. "Sasuke- on your shoulder-"

Before he could look, her gaze moved from his shoulder to her arm. Ami screamed, waving her arms as Sasuke saw a crowd of small black bugs crawling up her arm- and more were arriving by the moment. "Get them off me!" she wailed, running away.

Perhaps Sasuke wouldn't have thought anything of it- Ami's fear of bugs was well known, after all- but Sasuke's skin pricked under someone's stare. He met the culprit's gaze, dark glasses and Uchiha clarity. Sasuke nodded at him, a brief acknowledgement of services rendered. A barely perceptible head bob in return- think nothing of it- then Shino turned back to his bento.

* * *

That night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, ripples of thunder rattled the house. He turned away from the windows and wrapped his pillow around his ears- a futile attempt to escape the blasts of light and sound. Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried again to push aside the weight in his chest, the one pressing against his spine and forcing his mind to rattle around in his head like a targetless Inuzuka.

His door hung partly open, and he saw something small and quick slide through the gap. He tensed as Shū looked up at him, yellow eyes understanding nothing of human sorrow. With a sigh, Sasuke lay back down. The bed creaked as the cat jumped on the bed and curled up next to Sasuke, seeking the warmth of his inner fire, small and pathetic as it was. The weight in his chest faded as his mind finally found something to settle on: the feeling of soft fur against his arm. This was an acceptable arrangement.

Cats couldn't mock your weakness, nor did they comprehend tears.

During the day, Sasuke threw himself into a routine to choke out his brother's voice. It spoke at the strangest times- in class when Mizuki-sensei spoke of the Will of Fire, when someone cut themself and the smell of blood spiked the air, when his fingers twisted together into the sign of the tiger- when smoke curled around him- when the wind blew his hair into his eyes-

Wake up. Eat. Feed cats. School. Feed cats. Train. Eat. Sleep.

Repeat.

His brother's words haunted his steps, no matter how fast he ran or how many times he struck down the training dummies.

(Weak. Blood. Tiger. Smoke. Eyes. Nothing. Everything.)

Wake up. Eat. Feed cats. School. Feed cats. Train. Eat. Sleep.

Repeat.

As eventful as school was, during the walk home the silence of the Uchiha Compound started echoing in his ears again, no matter how good or bad the day behind it had been.

That's when he would feed the cats and vanish into the woods to train.

The cats made it easier to avoid thinking about his brother and the things he had said. Sasuke didn't know if he'd ever be ready to face the truth of what his brother was. Everytime he started to forget, every time it felt like things had gotten better, something- the scent of ash, the taste of a dumpling- reminded him again that his brother had never truly loved him.

That he'd murdered their entire clan because they were weak.

Training sessions grew longer.

Never again, he silently vowed. No one was going to make him helpless ever again.

* * *

None of the Uchiha victims got a burial befitting of a warrior. They were laid to rest like ordinary civilians in Konoha's burial grounds. They didn't even get their own section. They were just mixed in with everyōne else, as if their deaths- as if everything they had done for the village- didn't even matter.

Many Uchiha names were on Konoha's memorial stone, and most of the ones he recognized were related to his parents- one cousin of his father's in particular, he remembered, had died on some mission to destroy a bridge during the Third Shinobi World War when he was barely Itachi's age. As busy as his father had been, he always made time to visit his cousin weekly and burn incense for him.

But even though his father had dedicated his life to serving the village, he was not granted a place on the stone alongside his younger cousin. None of the Uchiha had been.

The Uchiha clan languished in dishonor. And it would be entirely up to Sasuke to restore that honor.

He traced his parent's names with a hand still chubby from helpless youth.

His mother's kindness had not saved her.

But neither had his father's power. His father, the clan head. His father, who had nurtured and raised Itachi from birth.

What did either power or kindness matter?

His brother's words again played in his mind, and Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut.

Something sharp- like metal shavings- nudged his hand, breaking his thoughts.

One of his mother's strays- the big one she'd named Tora- batted again at his hands, claws sheathed yet still peeking through the fur on her paws. Wiping the dirt from his face with his sleeve, he danced his fingers out of her reach. Not far enough, as she rolled with him, her gaze sharp and focused as her paws flashed at his hand.

"Fine," he grunted as he got to his feet, "I'll feed you. Just be patient."

He was burning through the cat food faster than he had expected. The bag of feed he had been using was running low and he needed enough to feed all four of the cats his mother owned, plus the strays that came by for meals. He poured what remained into a jar and placed it on the counter top to remind himself.

That was when he first noticed the oddity of the five bowls set out by the counter. That wasn't strange by itself. Each bowl was well-worn and well-used, with the name of its respective owner inscribed on the side. But the bowl the farthest to the right- tucked into the corner- was also the dustiest. Sasuke frowned and read the name on the sides of the bowls, left to right. Tora. Hyō. Shū. Neko. And Yuuna.

The first four cats he knew. They were his mother's pets, the few cats of the many who lived in the Uchiha Compound to be housecats. But Yuuna…

He cast his memory back as far as it would go. Some cats came and left as life ran its natural course, but all the way back to when he had been half his height- if that- Yuuna's bowl had stayed, empty but cleaned and cared for with the others.

Once- he thinks, he's not sure- he asked her. She had traced the rim, and her eyes- had flickered briefly towards- something, his memory couldn't deliver- "One day, you'll get to meet her," she had promised in a low voice. But she had never mentioned Yuuna again.

Now that was just strange, he thought as he picked up the bowl and turned it over in his hands.

Sometimes, he thought as he dropped the bowl into the trash, loved ones didn't come home.

Theatrics aside, he still had to feed the strays. And there definitely wasn't enough food to feed everyōne again tomorrow.

He'd have to buy more.

While Sasuke technically owned the entire clan's assets, he also couldn't access them until he hit eighteen or became chuunin, whichever came first. He lived on a pension provided by the Village for all the orphans. It was barely enough to live on, let alone buy new supplies for school or medical supplies or lightbulbs.

A glance upstairs.

Mother had kept a roll of cash in a secret drawer in her bureau. For emergencies only, she'd whispered before taking Sasuke's hand and walking him outside to buy dango-

Crushing the memory down, Sasuke sucked in a deep breath and started up the stairs, pointedly _not looking_ at Itachi's room as he slid the door to his parents' room open.

For a terrible moment, the corpses of his parents lay on the floor. Then he blinked and the memory was gone. The gashes in the wall and the pale brown stain on the wooden floor remained.

Two separate futons. Two dressers, two desks- which had been hers? He chose the one closest to the door- the one with hairpins and a brush laid out on the top- and fumbled for the drawer.

His searching fingers finally grasped the wad of cash and he fled like a samurai in full armor fled lightning, clutching his prize closely to his chest.

Stumbling to a stop downstairs, he counted the wad- only fifty thousand ryō.

That. That wasn't nearly enough. That would last barely a month- and especially not if he bought food for the cats.

His hand tightened on the cash and he cast a glance at the four remaining bowls. He could still put those ads out. One newspaper ad was definitely cheaper than buying food, over and over again, month in month out.

And yet…

Something pushed against his calves, and he wobbled as Shū rubbed against his ankles.

This was not what shinobi did, a voice whispered. Not what Itachi did.

At the thought, some of the things he _was not_ thinking about clicked. His mother had hidden money. Surely some of the others had as well.

Even though the Uchiha Complex stretched over less than a square kilometer, there were over eighty houses to search, in addition to the various Uchiha-run shops. Before… there had been about three-hundred clan members living on the grounds, ninja and civilians both. A lot of ground to cover.

The first house Sasuke searched was the house next door- Izumi's house.

In so many ways, nothing had changed. Izumi's bag hung by the door, ready for the mission she'd never had a chance to complete. An open book lay pages down, waiting for someone to come and finish it. And yet, dust motes filled the air like a flock of carrion birds circling over their prey, carpeting the tables in a thin film. The faint smell of rotting groceries hung in the air.

He passed over the kitchen, and went directly toward the bedroom. The door still hung open, and Sasuke slipped in. First, the dresser. He pawed through clean undergarments and dirty magazines, with no luck. Under the mattress. Behind the headboard. Nothing. Not even dust, he realized as he slid one thumb over the nightstand.

Where was the dust?

Drawing a kunai, Sasuke moved on to the next room- a library.

Someone had been here, too. But this time, it was easier to see where exactly they had been. Gaps in the bookcase looked back at him like missing teeth. He plucked one of the remaining books off the shelf and glanced at the title. _Nature Transformation and Shuriken Techniques._

Another. _On the Spiritual Properties of Fire and Its Combat Application._

So these were all documents related to Clan techniques. Books that belonged to his Clan.

And someone had taken them. The bodies of his family had not yet cooled in Konoha's burial grounds and people were stealing their clan secrets. Quickly as he could, he packed the remaining books into the backpack he had brought.

What else had been stolen? Who would dare to steal Clan secrets? Would they come back?

His first impulse was to go to the police- to report the theft. But his Clan _was_ the police. And the Hokage had made no move to reinstate a justice system for the residents of Konoha. Sasuke knew that the village had seized several clan scrolls and secrets. But they wouldn't need to sneak in after the fact, would they?

Whoever had snuck in- and it could be anyone in the village, anyone who wanted to learn or sell his clan's secrets- could not have searched every house without Sasuke knowing, not yet. But if he sat back and did nothing, they would. He would have to start now if he wanted to get ahead of them.

Golden sunlight had started to peer over the rim of the sky before Sasuke finished searching every building in the complex. Some houses had been searched in the same methodic care as Izumi's house, others had been ransacked and ruined with no discernable purpose. Sasuke did turn up a significant amount of ryō between the untouched houses, but that was no longer his primary goal. Now he focused on the libraries, using his weapon sealing scrolls- and any others he could find in the empty houses- to contain the documents of his clan.

These scrolls he sealed into the floorboards of his bedroom. It took quite a bit of time to perfectly duplicate the formula from the weapon storage scrolls, but once he had mimicked the design, he taped it under the boards. Some of the books he could used to study now, others would have to wait until he were farther along in his studies. But at least they weren't in the hands of- strangers.

But that wasn't enough. The Uchiha Clan may had faltered, may be on the brink of extinction, but they weren't dead yet. And anyone who stole from the Uchiha Clan needed to suffer.

And that's how the full moon woke from her slumber to find Sasuke, still sleep-deprived from the night before, fumbling with ninja wire and exploding tags as his cats wove around him, rubbing against him and playing with the scattered garbage in the streets.

Another yowl from Tora broke his fragile concentration and the tripwire he'd been weaving snapped back to the side, narrowly missing his cheek.

Sasuke groaned, casting the spool of wire to the ground. Tora screeched again, and this time the sound came with a familiar wail of pain. Sasuke looked up in time to see a familiar flash of gold stumble out of the alley. "Leave my cat alone you jerk!" he snapped, jumping to his feet.

"Your stupid cat attacked me," Naruto retorted fresh scratches adorning his arms. Then his eyes landed on Sasuke's work, and interest crushed the irritation in Naruto's eyes. "Whatcha doin, Sasuke?"

"Nothing," he said, even as Naruto darted over- far faster than Sasuke had ever seen him move in class- and leaned over the mess of wire and tags.

"Ah, there's the problem!" Naruto said, reaching in, "Ya gotta twist it the other way to offset the tension."

"Naruto-" Sasuke began, but before he could finish his sentence, the trap tightened up.

"What?"

He'd done this before, Sasuke realized. Everyōne in the class knew about Naruto's antics, about Iruka's frequent battle of wits with the irascible blonde. But it had never once occurred to him that Naruto was actually any good at the things he did on a regular basis.

"...So what exactly are you trying to do, anyway?" Naruto asked after a moment, "I mean it's placed in a great spot for an ambush but-"

"People keep breaking in to steal things," Sasuke said, shortly. "I want them to stop."

"Oh." Naruto considered. "Well. You can stop them- the Ankle Bind would be a good one for that. Or you can mark them so everyōne knows what they tried to do. It's a good way to telling everyōne 'I beat you'."

They hadn't even covered the Ankle Bind in class yet. Where had Naruto, the dead last, learnt it?

No matter. Naruto knew something that might come in handy to Sasuke later. He'd be foolish not to take advantage of that.

"I do have some glitter that would work," Sasuke said, more to himself than to Naruto. He'd seen Izumi wear it once to cousin Tenma's graduation ceremony- small uchiwa fans, colored red and white. Glitter you could only get from one place in Konoha. "Is it possible to set up an Ankle Bind and a glitter trap at the same time?"

Naruto's eye sparked with mischief. Somewhere, Iruka-sensei woke in a cold sweat and the Third Hokage's perpetual migraine worsened. "Is it possible- haha! Sasuke, you're talking to a true trap master! Count on me, we'll have this whole place rigged up in no time!"

Any protests Sasuke had at 'we' dissolved when he realized exactly how good Naruto was at this trap business. He designed and set wire with the practised ease of an electrician and the precision of a Hyuuga. Sasuke's original, half-baked plan to trap every house shattered under the twenty or so traps Naruto placed- by the entry points of the Compound, key points on the rooftops and the streets. Every house was effectively protected, without the drudgery of setting up outside every house.

It was more than good work, Sasuke had to admit. It was definitely Genin-level wire work, if not higher.

Naruto yawned and stretched, content with his last trap. "We'll get 'em Sasuke," he said, confidence shining from his voice, "then we can haul them to the Hokage and he'll kick their asses."

"You think he would?" Sasuke asked, skeptical. The Hokage had already made it clear he had little time for such frivolous matters.

"Of course," Naruto said, "You're part of the village." As if that was all there was to it. As if that's all it took to erase the complications between Clan and village. Small as he had been, Sasuke knew there was tension, knew it was a key part of why Konoha had confiscated so much from the Uchiha Compound. Of course Naruto, oblivious to all of that- oblivious to the simple concept of _clan duty_ \- would believe in the village.

And yet. He was part of the village. The Clan was part of the village. Weren't they supposed to protect each other?

Tora mewled and rubbed against Naruto. Hiding his spike of jealousy, Sasuke watched as Naruto laughed and petted the cat. "Eh, I guess you aren't so bad," Naruto said as he scratched her ears, and if his eyes flicked towards Sasuke as he said it, Sasuke ignored it.

* * *

"Yo, Sasuke!"

He turned, and looked dubiously at the paper package Kiba thrust at him. "Have you had those- pets of yours looked at?" Kiba asked before Sasuke could start his own interrogation.

"Pets?" Sasuke.

"Oh, don't play dumb," Kiba snapped, "you reek of cat. When's the last time you had them checked for worms or anything?"

Sasuke blinked. Of course cats needed something like that. Ninja got checkups all the time, why wouldn't animals?

"I thought so," Kiba groused, at the look on his face. "Well, if you need any of them brought in the Inuzuka Clinic will service all animals." His voice dropped from the practiced script. "Even cats," he muttered.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sasuke said. "...What's in the bag?"

"Shampoo and stuff. I dunno, my mom said to bring it over."

"..thanks," Sasuke said, examining the package one more time just in case Naruto had set Kiba up to something.

"Don't mention it," Kiba said. "Literally. Bad enough I have to smell those stinking cats on you," he muttered as he walked away.

"I didn't know you hung out with Kiba!" Naruto's voice chirped in his ear, and Sasuke jumped.

"How did you-"

"We should totally hang out! There's this great ramen place called Ichiraku's- it's the best! You're going to love-"

"No," Sasuke said, stepping away. "No way."

The other kid crossed his arms. "Aw come on Sasuke," he said. "Admit it, you had fun that night."

If he'd been strong enough, he wouldn't have to lay traps and rely on charity.

"I don't have time for 'fun'" Sasuke said, turning away, "and I certainly don't have time for you, moron."

The silence stretched- one moment, tw-

"Yeah, well- I don't have time for you, either!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke retreated down the hall, "You and your stupid hair can go- jump off a cliff!"

Sasuke didn't look back. And if he noticed a slightly frazzled Iruka-sensei usher in a red-faced Naruto well after Mizuki-sensei had begun his lecture on the forty-ninth shinobi rule, he buried it under his notes and indifference. Or tried to. Like it or not, he was in Naruto's debt because of the traps Naruto had laid for him- without question, without aim or manipulation. He had seen a comrade in need and wanted to help, even though they had barely spoken outside of class- or in it, for that matter. But now that he had, Sasuke found himself noticing quite a few things about his classmate.

For starters, Naruto cut a lot of classes- but mostly the ones taught by Mizuki-sensei or one of the others. Oh, he tried to cut Iruka-sensei's class, but Iruka-sensei always hunted Naruto down, or at least sent someone after him. None of the other teachers did. More troubling was the behavior exhibited by the teachers. Iruka-sensei was hard on Naruto- harder than he was even on Sasuke or Ino, the two trainees vying for top spot of the class. But the other teachers- even Mizuki-sensei- didn't seem to care whether Naruto excelled or not. In a normal school, that was one thing. But in a ninja school, where subpar ninja meant death for the entire squad… It didn't make any sense.

"Hey. Idiot."

"What do you want, duckface?" Naruto asked, stormy eyes fixed on the scroll he was scribbling on.

"Why are you training so hard to be a ninja when you cut class half the time?"

Naruto blinked, for an instant, then his glower returned. "I don't need to explain myself to you, you bastard."

He turned back to the scroll. Sasuke took in the blueprint in- even more complex than the ones Naruto had designed on the fly for Sasuke. "That's a good design," he said.

Slowly, Naruto's head lifted up. "You really think so?"

"Have you showed it to Iruka-sensei? It might bring your grade up."

"Like you know what my grades are," Naruto scoffed.

"You're the _dead last,_ " Sasuke reminded him. "Everyōne knows."

"Meh," Naruto let the scroll roll up with a snap. "I don't think Iruka-sensei does extra credit."

"If you don't pass, you don't become a ninja," Sasuke argued, "Don't you think it's important?"

"Why do you care so much anyway?"

"I don't," Sasuke snapped, "but it'd be a waste if you didn't pass."

"I'm already a waste, Sasuke," Naruto said, his voice rising in volume as he got to his feet. "But you already knew that, didn't you? Well one day I'm going to be stronger than you! Stronger than everyōne in the village! Believe it or not!"

Then Naruto was gone.

* * *

"What's his problem, anyway?" Sasuke groused as he stroked Hyō. "You try to help him and he flips out like it's your fault."

The sun hung bloody clouds in the sky, trailing wisps of red into the expanse over head as is sank into the night. Most days, Sasuke could train like nothing happened, could throw kunai and summon fire chakra as if everything were fine.

Today was not that day, had not been even before his spat with Naruto. Sasuke leaned against the training post, and let the elderly cat just be in his lap.

He wished he could do that. Just be, and damn everything else. Cats were so lucky. They didn't care about anything.

Hyō mewled and turned over in Sasuke's lap. "Yeah, like it's my fault he's a moron," Sasuke muttered, stroking soft, creamy fur. "If he wants to flunk out, let him."

It wasn't like a lot of people would be surprised if Naruto did flunk out. In fact… they seemed to expect it. Which, Sasuke thought with a bitter smile, was directly opposed to everything Konoha was supposed to stand for. Naruto was part of the village, so part of the family. In theory. Clearly, that wasn't the case with Naruto. Or with Sasuke either. They were both outcasts- Sasuke the last fruit of a dying branch, Naruto an uprooted sapling. Both with no support except what they sought out themselves.

A loud twang cut the air, a string of curses hot on its heels.

The traps.

Sasuke leapt to his feet and took off toward the sound, abandoning stealth in favor of speed. He reached the site in time to see the culprit weave a set of handseals.

A wooden log fell to the ground in her place. Substitution.

Where would they go?

The most tactically sound place was-

"Gotcha!" A loud voice echoed down the streets of the compound, "so you're the jerk who was stealing from Sasuke!"

"Get off me, you hellion!"

A sound like a smack, and Naruto went flying past Sasuke, hitting the ground and rolling onto his feet.

"Naruto, are you-"

"He's getting away!"

Sasuke needed no more urging. Together, they chased the invader through the streets of Konoha. Several people shrieked Naruto's name as he ran by, but Sasuke heard a few people call his name in disbelief as well.

"Keep him busy," Sasuke said.

"You're on!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke made a clone and split off, circling around and climbing the trees until he was above the pursuit. Three- two- one-

He landed right between the thief's shoulder blades. She went down with a loud grunt, and Sasuke quickly wove the handseals for a rope technique.

"Nice, Sasuke!"

"Yeah, well, you weren't so bad yourself, twerp," Sasuke said, noting with mild interest that Naruto hadn't even broken a sweat.

"So," Sasuke said, turning the intruder. "I hope you have a good reason for trespassing on Clan grounds."

The genin- her headband, coupled with the fact that she'd been caught by the two of them and had no chuunin vest to mark her rank- made a face. "I shouldn't be surprised you're the only one who can tame that savage," she said, working her shoulders with the tell-tale wriggle of the Escape Technique. A swift kick to her shin ended that.

"You stole things from Sasuke!" Naruto accused, and Sasuke planted his face in his hand. They didn't know that for sure, and all she'd do now is deny it-

"Alright, fine," she snapped, "So I did. But it's not like the Uchiha are going to mind and I need the help with my techniques!"

Sasuke leaned in close to her. "I want everything back that you stole," he said, his voice dark, "and a list of names of people who have stolen from me."

"Cute, real cute," she snorted, "you aren't even a genin. You can't do shit to me."

"Yeah?" Naruto leaned in close. "I bet Old Man Hokage wouldn't agree."

For a moment, there was the barest flicker of fear in her eyes before she laughed. "No way Lord Hokage would listen to you."

"Maybe not," Sasuke said, "but he'll listen to us. And if he doesn't… I don't need the Hokage to make your life miserable. I just need him."

A choked gasp slid from her throat. "You wouldn't."

Now that was interesting. Sasuke had been referring only to Naruto's unmatched pranking skill. But at that comment, her fear- true fear, not irritation- rekindled. An edge he was not going to let slip by. "I would."

"...fine. You win," she grumbled, looking to the side. "I left them at home. I'll bring them to you tomorrow."

"Tonight," Sasuke countered.

"At Ichiraku's!" Naruto piped up.

"What? No way!" Sasuke said, snapping his head over to look at Naruto.

"Oh come on, like you're gonna let her back on your clan land!" Naruto said, pointing at the genin, "it's safer and you know it."

"Fine." Sasuke with a glower at Naruto before releasing the rope technique pinning the genin down. "Meet you there in an hour. Don't be late."

"Yeah, whatever," she said, before vanishing into the trees, leaving a trail of uchiwa-shaped glitter behind her.

"Why were you chasing her?" Sasuke asked, rounding on Naruto.

"I felt the trap go off, duh," Naruto said, "You said there were people stealing from you. I wanted to help."

"I can handle my- wait, you felt it go off?"

"Yeah," Naruto said with a grin, "I set it with a catra tag. And when it went off I realized someone was breaking in-"

"I get it," Sasuke said, rocking back from his knees. "You didn't have to come."

"But I didn't know where you were," Naruto argued, "You coulda been training or something, then what?"

"I was training," Sasuke said. "...but thank you."

"Yeah, well that's the last time I- wait, what?"

"Thank you," Sasuke repeated, a little less sincerely the second time. "I wouldn't be getting anything back if it weren't for you."

Naruto's blue eyes filled with tears. "No problem, jerk," Naruto said as he wiped his face. "Now, let's go get that ramen!"

* * *

Perhaps it was because he'd never been in public with Naruto before- not alone, not like this- but Sasuke had never noticed just how cold everyōne's eyes were when they looked at Naruto. He seemed oblivious, going about life with his usual smile and exuberance as if nothing were out of the ordinary, as if being looked at with such cruel indifference was normal.

That was one thing his father had always tried to avoid within the clan. Fugaku had insisted that everyōne in the Uchiha Clan had all the rights of the noble clan line, whether they were civilian or ninja, whether they had a Sharingan or not. Again, the face of a dead cousin Sasuke had never met hovered behind those words. He had always meant to ask about his cousin someday.

But no one remained to ask.

As the new hour rang, the would-be thief came in, her face tight as she placed a small bag in front of Sasuke. "That's everything," she said, looking appropriately regretful.

"It had better be," Sasuke said, keeping his voice low as he reclaimed the bag and peered inside to verify the contents. Five books. That about fit what was missing from Izumi's house. But there were at least thirty more missing from other houses.

"Sasuke, come on! The food's here, let's eat!"

"So what, is he your pet now?" she asked, looking from Naruto to Sasuke.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked.

"You know," she said with an exaggerated blink.

"Actually I don't. Now get out of my face," Sasuke said. The suspicion in her eyes only deepened, and Sasuke wondered what exactly he was missing here. After one last cold look at Naruto, she was gone.

"Just ignore her, Sasuke," Naruto said, shovelling down more ramen than Sasuke thought could fit in even Chōji's mouth. "She's just mad we caught her."

"Nice to see you, Naruto? Who's your friend? Haven't seen him around before," the ramen chef- his name tag read Teuchi- commented. The second person who didn't have that cold look in his eyes for Naruto, Sasuke observed. Of course, money went a long way to alleviating grievances. It was just, as his father had said, a fact of life.

"Oh, this jerk is Sasuke," Naruto said.

"Exactly how often do you come here?" Sasuke asked, glancing between Teuchi and Naruto.

"As often as Iruka-sensei or the Old Man will take me, Naruto answered, "which is only like twice week unless it's a special occasion like now."

Sasuke scoffed. "It's not a special occasion," he said, "you don't go to ramen bars for special occasions."

"This is the first time I've had dinner with a- a friend," Naruto said, blurring his words together as he spoke quickly, "so it's special to me."

"You've never had dinner with Shikamaru or Kiba?" Sasuke echoed, "ever?"

"Yeah so you're the first," Naruto grumped as he slid the empty bowl aside and grabbed another, "don't get a big head."

* * *

If Iruka thought it odd that Naruto squeaked into the spot next to Sasuke the next day in class, and that Sasuke didn't kick him out, he gave no sign of it.


	2. Chapter 2

A brilliant flash of light-

A crack of thunder, loud and proud as a whip-

And the gates of heaven opened.

Sasuke ducked his head. A sliver of gold from the sun still peaked over the edge of the horizon, but wouldn't linger for much longer. He wasn't usually this far away from home. Uchiha had their own training grounds to use, and their own libraries. But Sasuke had begun undercutting the village for odd jobs. He charged half of what the ninja charged for a genin squad to pull weeds or make meals for an elderly relative, and had raked in a fair profit for half a day's work. The more profitable jobs- such as painting a house- wouldn't be worth it unless at least one other person split the labor. Still, the single person jobs paid enough to feed the cats, at least.

The downside was the mile and a half walk home in the blinding rain.

"Hey! Sasuke! Over here!" Naruto's voice sounded out of nowhere. Sasuke followed it out of the rain. He could put up with Naruto for a couple hours if it meant staying dry.

"I know it's not much," Naruto yammered as he closed the door behind Sasuke and thrust a mildewed towel into his hands, "and I wasn't expecting company today- well, ever, really- but that's ok! You're totally welcome to crash here until the rain lets up!" Lightning flashed as Sasuke wiped his face with the cleanest corner of the towel, then cast his gaze around his surroundings.

The residence- if it could be called one- had been lived in for some time. Naruto had rigged a system with dented pots and ninja wire to catch the water from the leaks in the roof. Outdated study posters hung on the wall- with rips and stains telling Sasuke they had been fished from someone's garbage can- and a grimy refrigerator sparked in the corner, waiting for someone to turn their backs on it before it set the whole place alight. Water leaked from the windows- rust clogging their mechanisms and forcing them to stay open. It had once been a stable, maybe even a nice house. But Naruto didn't seem to know the first thing about home maintenance.

"How long have you been here?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Eh, I don't remember. It doesn't matter. No one wanted to live near me in the last apartment building so the Old Man had me put up here. It's got some perks," he said, with a grin, "It's not so far from the ramen stand and it's only a couple minutes from the school."

Thunder crashed. The lights flickered overhead. "Better make dinner while we have electricty, huh?" Naruto asked, digging in a cabinet. "You hungry, Sasuke?"

He peered over Naruto's shoulders. "Do you eat anything besides ramen?"

"What else do I need?" Naruto asked, selecting a scuffed pot.

"Vegetables. Protein. You know. Real food?"

"It's too expensive," Naruto grumbled as he switched out the pots and placed the rainwater on the stove.

He had Sasuke there. At least his parents had left him a stipend to survive on- a low on, because they had never expected the entire clan to be wiped out. Naruto… Naruto had nothing.

Naruto might be interested in helping him with the D-ranks around the village. But Sasuke dismissed the thought as soon as it formed. Naruto couldn't keep secrets and although Sasuke wasn't technically breaking any rules, he knew the Village would not like sharing potential customers with an Academy student.

"It's not letting up out there," Naruto said, peering out a threadbare curtain. "If you wanna stay tonight you can."

Sasuke hesitated. He'd fed the cats before he had left to run his errands and he could feed them after school tomorrow. They'd whine a bit, but they'd be fine. Naruto's place was shabby, but clean- aside from the mildew- and it might be nice to stay somewhere without the ghosts and memories lingering over his head.

"I have some new blankets," Naruto whispered and Sasuke jumped because somehow Naruto had ended up right behind him, "and a new deck of cards. I can teach you to play poker have you ever played poker before because it's totally fun but I can't play by myself-"

"Alright," he said as another flash lit the interior of the house, "I'll stay the night-"

"-and poker?" Naruto asked, creeping toward a small desk in the corner.

"Fine. and poker." Sasuke sat on the threadbare carpet as the blonde squealed and began rummaging through the drawer.

Since Naruto lived only a few streets down from the Academy, Sasuke woke with plenty of time to complete his morning warm ups. Usually, he rushed through, anxious to get to school, but this morning he could take his time. And what a difference it made. Really leaning into the motions and holding them was more difficult than the katas he did each morning, but for the first time in a long time, his morning warm up felt right.

It still wasn't the same without father to guide him.

Shaking the thought away as he got to his feet, Sasuke crossed to the window and glanced out. Lots of debris from the night before- one of the trees outside had fallen across the street- but the skies were clear and empty as a discarded ramen bowl.

Behind him, Naruto muttered something in his sleep and rolled over on his bed. Sasuke let the curtain fall, and checked the fridge next.

Eggs and milk. A quick glance at the milk told him it was too old to use. A sniff test confirmed it. Gagging, Sasuke dumped it out the window. How long had Naruto been living on his own? He had to have people caring for him as a baby.

Since Naruto had no oil, Sasuke boiled the eggs. "Wake up, you," he said, pulling the covers off Naruto.

He groaned, and sat up. "'S too early," Naruto groused.

"Class begins in an hour. How often do you eat breakfast?"

"I don't. Why? Do you want some?" All sleepiness had vanished from Naruto's face. "I can make you something if you want- uh, we have cereal, I think-"

"Relax, you idiot. I already made eggs."

Naruto stopped at the table. "You made me breakfast," he said in something of a daze.

"Yeah, I made breakfast," Sasuke said, "Now get a shower. You stink."

Something in his chest tightened at the shiny look in Naruto's eyes. It wasn't normal. It wasn't normal for gestures this small to bring someone to tears.

Something was very, very wrong here.

Even with Naruto's chronic inability to focus on anything, they made it to the Academy with fifteen minutes to spare. Sasuke used the time to review his homework, grateful he had taken it with him to run his errands yesterday. Naruto used the time to speed through the questions, cursing and muttering under his breath.

"How do you make any sense of this?" he whined as he flipped the pages.

"You have to read the chapter first."

Naruto levelled a glare at him. "Yeah, I'm not an idiot, Sasuke," he groused, "It took me a week to read it all and I still don't get it!"

"You could have asked me for help yesterday instead of playing poker the whole time."

"I forgot. Besides, it's not like it would have made a difference anyway," Naruto said, throwing his hands up in the air.

Sasuke refrained from reminding Naruto of his poker mastery, and those were also abstract rules. But the rules of poker were also pretty simple, with real consequences following each decision. Chakra theory was far more subjective, and for someone who learned with his hands like Naruto, it was nothing more than gibberish.

It would an interesting challenge, his mind whispered, to find a way to break down something as complex as chakra theory so Naruto could understand it.

Before Sasuke could react to the thought, Iruka-sensei entered the classroom. Naruto slumped in his seat. "I really wanted to finish this time," he moaned as Sasuke passed both their sheets to the end of the table.

"You could have just asked for my answers, you know," Sasuke said before his brain could intercept the thought. He had enough people trying to copy off him.

"Iruka-sensei would know," Naruto said, "he always knows. 'Sides. That won't make him proud of me. He'd be disappointed that I cheated."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Since when had Naruto cared what the teachers thought? Not all teachers, he realized as Naruto kept his eyes on Iruka-sensei, just one.

As Iruka began chalking the day's agenda on the board, the door slid open again. Shino slipped inside.

"Good morning, Shino. Cutting it a bit close today," Iruka-sensei said.

"Won't happen again," Shino said, starting up the stairs to his usual seat. Before Iruka could turn back to his chalkboard, Shino's foot slipped. He went down.

"Shino," Iruka said, flickering to his student's side, "Are you alright?"

"I am fine, sensei," Shino said as Iruka-sensei helped him up. "Why? I only tripped."

A low snicker sounded from somewhere in the back of the classroom- Kiba, Sasuke guessed by the pitch. Iruka-sensei's gaze swept the room, searching for the culprit as Shino's face dipped deeper into his collar and he slid into his seat.

As Iruka-sensei began his review of handseals, Sasuke could see the familiar glaze germinating over Naruto's eyes. Iruka-sensei was aware, but he had twenty other bouncy kids to think about, each with their own questions and concerns, and Naruto said nothing to bring up his lack of understanding. The first and last time he had, the entire classroom had burst into laughter at Naruto's expense. Himself included.

He nudged Naruto. "Try making the signs he's talking about." Sasuke made the sign of the Tiger.

"How's that gonna help?"

"Just try it," Sasuke said. With a grumble, Naruto complied. Sasuke held his signs, and said nothing about Naruto correcting his form based on Sasuke's.

"Good form, Naruto," Iruka-sensei said, and Naruto's blue eyes snapped over to his teacher, wide-eyed as Iruka-sensei met his gaze with a smile. "Everyone, make the sign of the Ox," he said. Naruto looked at his hands, then back at Iruka. His shoulders relaxed, and Naruto sat straighter as his gaze focused on Iruka-sensei's lecture.

Iruka-sensei stopped by a student who hadn't moved. "Shino, please make the sign of the Ox."

With a start, Shino twisted his fingers together into a perfect sign of the Bird. The classroom filled with snickers. Laughs at Shino's expense in the classroom arena did not come often.

"Enough!" Iruka-sensei ordered, his eye raking the classroom as Shino corrected his seal. "Your form is perfect, Shino," Iruka-sensei said, "I can tell you have been practising."

The rest of the review was uneventful, and once it ended, Iruka-sensei herded all the students outside for taijutsu practice. No sign remained of the vicious weather from the night before. Clear blue skies and a sun as bright as Naruto's smile shone down on them. Deep puddles and broken branches littered the floor of the training grounds and one of the windows on the upper floor was taped over with masking tape and a plastic garbage bag.

"I'm so glad it's taijutsu day," Naruto said, basking in the sun next to Sasuke as they watched Kiba and Shikamaru go at it.

"Hm." Sasuke's thoughts were elsewhere. He already had a lot to do between training and caring for the cats and the schoolwork. He didn't get anything out of helping Naruto. And he had to go home and feed the cats sometime today.

But chakra theory was such a complex, if fundamental, topic, and Sasuke couldn't say he had mastered the subject. Going over it with Naruto wouldn't hurt.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke said, "Meet me at Ichiraku's after school. My treat."

The utter delight in Naruto's face gave way to suspicion. "What's the catch?"

"Bring your books," Sasuke said. "We're studying."

"At the ramen bar?" Naruto asked, surprising Sasuke. He'd thought for sure Naruto would protest to the idea of studying. But what had he said earlier- it took him a week to get through the chapter? Naruto may have the attention span of a kitten, but he put genuine effort into Iruka-sensei's classes.

"Would you rather not? Because-"

"No, Ichiraku's is fine!" Naruto said. "All the books?"

"Yes. Bring them all," Sasuke said.

"Next match is Shino versus Sasuke," Iruka-sensei said. Sasuke rose to his feet and stepped into the ring as Shino shuffled in across from him.

"Begin," Iruka-sensei said.

And to everyone's surprise, Shino made the first move.

With a sharp cry, Shino launched forward. Sasuke blocked his kick, returned it with one of his own. It missed. Sasuke spun, aiming his heel at Shino's chin. Again, the Aburame dodged. He had stopped taking initiative, Sasuke noted as feinted a sloppy kick. He was reacting, focusing all his attention on anticipating Sasuke's movements and blocking them. His false kick drew Shino in closer, and Sasuke brought his fist around. Shino flinched back, his haphazard block stopping the blow through luck.

A sweep kick targeting Shino's knees, and the Aburame went down. Shino rolled, trying to get back to his feet. Sasuke's thumb met the soft flesh on Shino's neck.

Match.

"Good work, Sasuke," Iruka-sensei said. "Shino, you've improved your form. Keep practicing."

Shino got to his feet. "May I use the bathroom?" he asked.

"Go ahead, Shino," Iruka said. "Next match is Ami and Hinata."

Sasuke watched Shino amble to the bathroom. Something was going on with him. He'd been acting strange all day.

It really wasn't his business, he thought as he leaned back against the log next to Naruto. Shino was a private person. He probably didn't want anyone butting in after him.

"This is gonna be an easy match!" Ami said, lifting her hands. Her voice grated against Sasuke's nerves and revived the memory of her unwanted touch- of dark Aburame justice. A reluctant sigh bled from his throat. He owed Shino for keeping Ami off him.

"Shino?" Sasuke asked, poking his head into the boy's room. "Are you in here?"

This was so stupid. Why was he doing this?

"I am here." Sasuke slipped in. Shino sat underneath the sink, his knees drawn up to his chest. "Is it time to go back inside?"

If only.

"No." Sasuke squatted next to Shino. "You haven't been- well. I wanted to-"

What did he want, exactly?

"-to make sure you were doing ok."

Shino's glasses glinted as they turned up to face him. "I am not. Why? Because my baby sister died last night."

"You have a sister?" Sasuke repeated in surprise, then slapped his face. "I mean-"

"Aburame pregnancies are quite risky, even after the baby is born. There is a one-month period after birth where they may die. If they survive, then we announce the birth. If not…"

"I see." Sasuke hesitated. When his parent's death was still fresh, when all everyone cared to give him were cheap, empty words, he had wanted nothing more than silence. "Do you want to be alone right now?" he asked at last.

"I am never alone," Shino said. "Why? Because of my kikaichuu. But it is nice to have a person express concern."

Settling into a sitting position, Sasuke leaned against the wall, close enough to try and convey- what? Support? Understanding? Camaderie?

"My cats help," Sasuke said, "on bad days. But they aren't the same as people. I guess that's why I've been hanging around Naruto lately. He gets things some of the others don't."

"He is more observant than people realize," Shino said. "He knows pain and loneliness because he is ostracized. Why? I am unsure. But you understand, too- more than many of the others. Thank you. I needed a distraction."

"Naruto and I have a study session at Ichiraku's if you need a distraction tonight," Sasuke said. He had needed one during some of those long nights alone in his parent's house. Shino may not have gone through what he had, but he knew more than most of his classmates. He knew enough.

"I will take you up on that. Why? Because I will need one," Shino said. "Thank you."

"Right after school," Sasuke said. "We will be going over Yin and Yang chakra."

"I will be there."

They sat together in comfortable silence. Faint cheers from the matches outside leaked into the bathroom, echoing around them. When the latest roars died down, Shino spoke again. "Tell me about your cats."

Sasuke ignored the way Shino's arms tightened around his knees into a smaller ball.

"I have four," Sasuke began, "Tora, Hyō, Shū and Neko."

"So Yin chakra is the spiritual stuff you mix with physical stuff to make chakra."

"No, Naruto. Yin chakra is chakra that's already been mixed, it just has more physical energy in it."

"Naruto, think of it like ramen. Why? If the noodle is the Yang and the broth the Yin, cooking them in equal parts gets normal chakra. But if you need Yin chakra, then you add more broth to make a thinner soup."

"Oh!" Naruto's face cleared. "That makes sense. You can't use spiritual energy until you heat it up and get it ready to eat- and even if the technique is mostly Yin energy, it needs at least some noodles to give it form."

"Exactly," Sasuke said, closing his book. "Well put."

The sun hung low in the sky, brushing the earth. Naruto, Shino and Sasuke pored over the review sheet Iruka-sensei had given out.

"But how do you tell it apart when you mix it? When you mold chakra, how do you know what's physical and what's spiritual?"

"That's why we use hand seals," Sasuke said as Naruto started on his third bowl. "They knead the energy."

"But that makes no sense. You don't use hand seals to mix ramen."

Shino put his hand to his chin. Sasuke struggled to dilute the concept.

"It's like a recipe," Sasuke said at last, "you gotta read it before you make the ramen, right?"

"Only if you've never made ramen before," Naruto said.

"Unless you've memorized the recipe," Shino said, "Then you might make mistakes."

"And that's what seals are for," Sasuke said, "They're like the ingredients and amounts. Tiger, for instance, means 'fire' and 'earth'. It's why most of my clan's techniques that use fire end in Tiger."

"So the hand seals are how you mix chakra and visualise the technique," Naruto said.

"A good way to put it," Shino said.

"You think so?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Why? Because it is accurate."

Naruto tilted his head. "You know, you're alright, Shino," he declared. "I thought you were a weirdo because you never talked to anyone but I guess you were just shy like Sasuke here."

"I was not shy!"

"You have quite a unique view of the world, Naruto," Shino said. "I see why Sasuke is your friend."

"You do?" Naruto asked.

"Is that your way of saying you wouldn't mind another study session?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," Shino said. "I came for a distraction. But I have enjoyed this far more than i expected to."

"This is your idea of fun?" Naruto exploded, "Lame! You need to come and play poker with Sasuke and me!"

Shino's head snapped over to face Naruto. "Poker, you say?" he murmured, the fading sunlight glinting off his mirrored black glasses, "I would like that. I am quite fond of poker."

"Sweet! You can help me teach Sasuke- he sucks!"

"I do not, you're just bad at explaining the rules!"

"Well it's not my fault you don't listen, duck-face!"

"If the two of you would like, we could play at my house this Saturday at two," Shino said.

Sasuke hesitated. The errands he could do any time and it didn't cost anything to go to someone's house. If he were lucky, if he found an Aburame adult willing to help him, he might learn more about his stolen Clan scrolls. Their families had always gotten along well.

"You want us to come to your house?" Naruto asked.

Shino's shoulders caved. "You do not have to. Why? It was a suggestion-"

"No, no!" Naruto said, and again Sasuke noted the sheen over the blonde's eyes. "I'll be there!"

"Then it is settled," Shino said, and leaned back into his seat.

Naruto slid his empty bowl aside and called Teuchi over, detailing a new order. "I will cover the bill tonight," Shino said.

"I have some money," Sasuke said, "I can-"

"You have done me a service tonight," Shino said.

OK. There was an out he could accept- Shino paying for the meal in exchanged for services rendered. "Thanks," Sasuke said.

Shino nodded at him, then turned his attention to Naruto. The irascible blonde was arguing about broth flavors with Teuchi, waving his arms as he peppered a few non-sequitur comments about Yin chakra into his point. "Have you noticed anything odd about this place?" Shino asked.

"Besides the cuisine?" Sasuke asked.

"No." Shino kept his gaze on Naruto. "The people. They all look at him strangely. Why? I do not know."

"...yeah," Sasuke said, "I've seen it, too. Except Iruka-sensei and Teuchi. Maybe the Lord Hokage."

"This is strange. My insects are picking up disparaging comments, but nothing about the source. It can't be his pranks."

"No," Sasuke agreed as Naruto's wild gesticulation sent a fresh bowl of broth flying over the counter, "It's more like they fear him or something."

"I could ask my father," Shino said, "but he would tell me to investigate for myself. There must be a reason everyone fears the son of the Fourth Hokage."

"Hold on, what makes you say Naruto is the Fourth's son?" Sasuke asked.

"They bear a strong resemblance. You cannot say you haven't noticed it," Shino said. "His birthday, the same day as the attack of the Nine-tails. His birth records are sealed- even my insects can't access the room."

"How do you know?" Sasuke demanded.

"I suspect. Nothing more," Shino said. "Of course, I could be wrong. Naruto may not be the Fourth Hokage's son. But it is a matter worth investigating. Why? Because Naruto is someone I can see myself calling a friend. As are you."

 _Friends are a distraction._

But Sasuke recognized the honor for what it was. The Aburame were solitary by nature and by necessity. Few others could stand being around them. His friendship with Naruto had been beneficial thus far. A friendship with Shino would be more so.

"I could say the same of you," Sasuke said. "You helped me out of a tight spot."

"Ami got what was coming to her," Shino said. "She needs to learn to take no for an answer."

"Perhaps the three of us can do something about that," Naruto suggested, "I don't like her."

"Why, do you have something in mind?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe," Naruto said, "Gotta give a bit of time to bake, though."

"Shino."

Naruto and Sasuke jumped. Behind them stood Shibi Aburame.

"I will see you in class tomorrow," Shino said, climbing down from the stool. Shibi's gaze moved to Sasuke, sweeping over Naruto as it went.

"See ya tomorrow, Shino!" Naruto said, waving as the pair diminished into the distance. Sasuke let his eyes wander the street, and noted the influx of cold looks at the blonde's outburst.

Why?

The sun had slipped below the horizon. Night would be here in a matter of moments and he hadn't seen or fed his cats all day.

But there was something he had to do first.

"I'm heading home, Naruto," he said, rising. "I need to feed my cats."

"Oh, great," Naruto said, "the bill! I'm sorry- I don't have enough-"

"Shino took care of it."

"When?" Naruto asked, craning his head as if he could catch another glimpse of their reserved classmate around the corner.

"While you were mopping up the broth you spilled," Sasuke said. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings."

"I am so!" Naruto retorted.

"Right. See you tomorrow, Naruto."

"You jerk! See if I care!"

He hid his smile as he walked away from the ramen stand. But he did not direct his steps toward the Uchiha Clan compound. He had a quick stop to make before he headed home.

The wind had kicked up again as he stood on the doorstep of Iruka-sensei's apartment. Hoping to beat the rain, Sasuke knocked again although Iruka-sensei's brisk gait approached the door.

"Sasuke. Is everything alright?" Iruka-sensei asked, surprise flickering across his face.

"Yes, sensei. Everything is fine," he said as the chuunin stepped aside to let him in. Iruka-sensei's eyes stayed on him, gentle and assessing all in one look.

The small apartment wasn't messy as much as it was disorganized. The dishes piled in the sink under a dripping faucet were clean. Stacks of schoolwork and papers rested on most available surfaces. Sasuke counted at least seven loose pens and brushes.

"Then what can I do for you, Sasuke?"

"It's about Naruto."

Tension crept into Iruka-sensei's shoulders, but he kept his attention on Sasuke. Waiting.

"Have you seen where he lives?" Sasuke asked at last.

"I know roughly where he lives," Iruka-sensei said, taken aback. "But I haven't been there, no."

"It's not fit for a beggar," Sasuke said. "Whoever's paying rent is getting swindled. There's a bunch of leaks in the roof, all the doorknobs are broken, and the windows won't close all the way. He doesn't know how to tell when milk is rotten, either!"

As Sasuke spoke, cold determination filled Iruka-sensei's eyes. "I'll take care of it," he said, crossing his arms.

"That's not all. Have you seen the way the people of the village look at him?"

Iruka-sensei's mouth pressed into a thin line. One drip, two, three from the faucet breaking the silence before Iruka-sensei spoke. "It is hard to miss," he said at last.

"So why doesn't anyone do anything about it?" Sasuke asked. "Naruto's an idiot but he's not a monster!"

A choked laugh squeezed from Iruka-sensei's throat. "Many in the village would say otherwise."

"I know," Sasuke said. "I hear the things they say everyday. And so does Naruto." He straightened, and asked his mother's spirit for strength. "You always tell us to speak up for what's right, to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. That's what the Will of Fire is, right? Why haven't you done anything to stop it?"

Iruka-sensei flinched back under the weight of his words. "Sasuke, it's complicated-"

"There's nothing complicated about it!" Sasuke spat, "It's not Naruto's fault the Fourth died!"

"Of course it isn't," Iruka-sensei returned, "But what do you expect me to do, Sasuke? I can't make them change their minds. They're going to hate him no matter what I say."

"Maybe." Sasuke met Iruka's eyes. "But you could be doing something, and you're not. Smiling at him does him no good if you're coldhearted underneath."

The moon was high overhead by the time he crossed into the Uchiha Compound. Sasuke wrapped his arms around his chest, rubbing his upper arms to warm them up.

 _Don't forget a jacket, Sasuke,_ his mother would have said. _You'll catch cold._

Sasuke of a few months ago would have protested, would have said it was uncool. Foolish. If one fell sick, they were no good to anyone.

Perhaps it was because he was so deep in thought. Perhaps it was the darkness, or the chill of the wind sapping his attention. Whatever the reason, Sasuke did not register the fallen tree and the shrieking yowls of his cats until he was almost over the threshold of his house. Wet and hungry. No wonder the poor things were angry.

That tree had stood outside Itachi's room for as long as Sasuke could recall. He and Itachi had climbed it as children and his mother had used it to erect a line to dry their laundry on.

 _Sunlight is so much better for clothes than hot air. They last longer._

Another thing he lost, he thought, staring at the remnants of the tree. Another thing that didn't matter in the long run. After last night's heavy rainfall, large sections of the house would be ruined. Repairs would be expensive, far beyond what he could afford on his stipend-

He'd have to find alternate living arrangements.

Relief at no longer living under the shadows of his parents mixed with fear. Where would he go?

It didn't matter now, he decided as he ducked inside the house, kicking off his shoes despite the wet floor. The planks groaned under his weight as he moved deeper into the house. The library was safe, and so were the books thanks to the closed cabinets storing the books. But the kitchen was decimated. The fallen oak had knocked a dish cabinet off the wall. Shards of broken glass and porcelain shrouded the floor. The tree itself jutted from the kitchen into the hallway leading to the stairwell, blocking his entry into the rest of the house.

At the sound of his entry, the yowling intensified. Tora bounded down out of the kitchen, yowling the loudest of all of them. Once she got his attention, she raced back in, never ceasing her keening.

"Alright, alright I'm here!" he said, collecting the broom from its place in the library, "I'll feed you in a minute!"

Careful to avoid stepping in the mess, Sasuke swept up the broken shards in the kitchen. As he emptied the mess into the garbage can in the kitchen, a rusty, metallic smell pulled at his nose.

 _Foolish little brother. Why do you fight when you cannot win?_

 _Corpses at his feet, his mother's dark hair veiling her face- his father's eyes inhuman and dull as they stared into nothing-_

Something brushed against his leg and broke him free of his thoughts. Neko's sad blue eyes pierced his thoughts, as if she knew his thoughts.

Fumbling, he retrieved the dustpan from the depths of the garbage can where he'd dropped it, tapping it against the side to dislodge the last of the shards.

Out of the corner of his eye, his sight picked out red-stained white and black fur hidden in the foliage of the tree.

The dustpan clattered to the floor as he darted to the fallen tree. Pushing the leaves aside revealed Shuu's dull yellow eyes. With a pained mewl, Shuu licked Sasuke's hand. The tree had fallen on his back legs- maybe his hindquarters? He couldn't tell. Tora lay next to Shuu, and the yowling ceased at last.

No. No. No.

Drawing a kunai, Sasuke began chipping at the wood. Beside him, Hyou lay down on the floor next to him, as he always did.

"Hold on, Shuu," he said, hacking at the wood with all the care and speed he could muster, "It's going to be ok."

Not fast enough. He wasn't fast enough and his hands were already getting tired. There had to be another way to move the tree. Shuu needed a doctor, now.

Think Sasuke, think. He forced his hands to still, and let the kunai fall.

He couldn't burn the tree away. He didn't have the kind of control to keep from hurting Shuu. he was too small and weak

(it always came back to weakness, didn't it?)

to move it.

So what options remained?

He could keep hacking away. But Shuu's eyes were glassy with pain and the sticky red puddle under him meant Shuu didn't have much time left. Whatever he did, he had to do now.

If he were on earth, he could dig a hole under Shuu and slide him out. But he couldn't pull him out from under-

Wait.

He dug through the pouch at his waist, pulling a storage scroll free. He unsealed the contents, careful to keep the heavy fuuma shuriken from falling onto any of the cats. Iruka-sensei had said you could put living things in a seal.

But he had to risk it. He had no other way to move Shuu in time to get him to a doctor.

Oh, let this work, he prayed as he laid Shuu's front paw on top of the seal. With shaky hands, he stroked Shuu's neck, planted a quick kiss on his head, and sent a chakra surge into the seal.

Shuu disappeared in a puff of smoke. With a groan, the tree settled deeper into his house. Running to the counter, Sasuke cleared it off and unsealed the scroll. The cat materialized on the countertop with a low mewl of pain. Sasuke gagged. Turning away, he fought down his nausea.

 _He's running out of time. Don't waste it being weak._

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he sealed Shuu back into the scroll. Placing it deep into his pouch, Sasuke threw his shoes on and ran back into the night.


End file.
